Rachael Ray Super Fan

3 Essential Knives for Men

Chef's Knife - The name of this knife says it all, which makes it a bit redundant to have it on a mans complete knife guide. Still, every good chef is never far removed from his good chefs knife. The chefs knife is the workhorse of the kitchen -- the most indispensable knife you will own -- and it can be used for just about any purpose, from trimming and slicing to chopping and mincing. When shopping, consider a nice eight- to 10-inch model. The chefs knife should have a good, even weight to it. Weight distribution is important because you want the heft of the knife to do most of the work for you while youre chopping, just as a good hammer makes driving in nails easy.

Paring knife - If a chefs knife is too large for a job, turn to your paring knife. Sure, a paring knife seems a bit girlie for a mans complete knife guide, but this is the tool that enables you to get into tight spaces and make quick turns. Think of the paring knife as the delicate precision knife. Its smaller blade (3.5 to five inches) is designed to make light work of one-handed tasks such as taking the tops and tails off vegetables, skinning or coring fruits and mincing small foods such as garlic and herbs.

Serrated Knife - A serrated knife (also known as a bread knife) is an excellent tool in the right circumstances. So, while an eight- to 10-inch serrated knife is excellent for sawing your way through a crusty bit of bread or a nice roast beef, its almost useless for chopping a carrot or chicken breast. Most guys misuse this knife, which is why its on our mans complete knife guide.

posted by Rachael Ray Super Fan @ 12:04 PM